Larvicidal efficacy of Eugenia jambolana Linn. Extracts in three mosquito species at Mysore

Abstract

The development of resistance to chemical insecticides among mosquito species has been considered as a setback in vector control. So, researchers have diverted their interest towards insecticides of plant origin as an alternative source. Thus the present investigation was undertaken to analyse the larvicidal activity of Eugenia jambolana leaf extracts by employing against the fourth instar larvae of three medically important mosquito species namely Aedes aegypti, Culex quinquefasciatus and Anopheles stephensi at Mysore following the guideline of WHO larval bioassay methodology. The extraction process was carried with a soxhlet apparatus employing petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, acetone and methanol as a solvents. The results shows that among the mosquito species Aedes aegypti was found to be the most susceptible with the LC50 value of 40.97 ppm compared to that of Culex quinquefasciatus and Anopheles stephensi with LC50 53.84 and 96.00 ppm, respectively. The crude petroleum ether extract of this plant with good larvicidal efficacy will be considered as a potent candidate for further analysis. © 2011 Academic Journals Inc.